Mike Pelfrey’s Mets Career Ends with Surgery

Mets starting pitcher Mike Pelfrey underwent Tommy John surgery today in Alabama by Dr. James Andrews. The surgery will force Pelfrey to miss the rest of the 2012 season and, in all likelihood, end his disappointing Mets career.

Pelfrey was a non-tender candidate coming into 2012. So it’s impossible to imagine him coming back to the team following a major injury. If he doesn’t come back, he’ll be remembered by Mets fans as a big disappointment after being the 9th overall draft pick in 2005. Hopes were high for Pelfrey to continue the Mets tradition of drafting and developing great starting pitchers that goes back to the 1960’s.

To be exact, Pelfrey’s Mets career will end at 50-54 with a 4.36 ERA and 1.458 WHIP. Not a stellar career. But most of all, the Mets fans that I know and talk to regularly regard Pelfrey as lacking the intestinal fortitude or desire to face tough situations and triumph. Maybe he doesn’t have the competitive spirit or something similar but he frequently seemed to wilt in difficult moments.

His odd ticks like chewing on his mouth guard, excessively licking his hands, or anything else, and his three balks in one game in San Francisco in 2009 come to mind. That’s always been a source of frustration and comedy for us. Maybe we’ll miss that, but I doubt it.

It wouldn’t surprise me one bit if Pelfrey went on to some level of success somewhere else. As a matter of fact, I’ll even throw it out there right now that he’ll probably throw a no-hitter for someone else. Let’s just face it now that it’s going to happen and get over the anger it’s going to cause.